(A) study on the role of Seoul Station overpass within the urban pedestrian network

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Over the last century, the expanded repertoire of urban transport infrastructure in Seoul has negatively reconditioned its cityscape by fragmenting its pedestrian networks. Recently, many cities have reorganized urban transport infrastructure to recover pedestrian networks, and the pedestrianization of elevated transport infrastructure has become a topical method proposed for patching together disjointed pedestrian networks. Similarly, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has proposed to convert Seoul Station Overpass into an elevated park as a means to recover the pedestrian network currently fragmented by Seoul Station Complex’s web of railway lines and adjacent arterials. But many critics have argued that a more comprehensive and expanded outlook on the future of Seoul Station Complex, addressing a myriad of issues including zoning, density, and connectivity of all other methods of transportation, must precede any beautification project of the overpass. To address one of these issues, this thesis attempts to expand the contextual scope of pedestrian connectivity by studying the existing condition of pedestrian networks around Seoul Station Complex at large, with the overpass as a singular component among many others. I begin by conducting a brief survey of the expanded repertoire of transport surrounding Seoul Station Complex, before carrying out a review of relevant literature discussing the spatial issues typically associated with urban transport infrastructure. Among these, Lewis Mumford’s seminal critique of the role of the overpass and the pedestrian within the city will be discussed in greater depth, in light of ongoing proposals for pedestrian reuse of elevated transport infrastructure. A historical contextualization of Seoul’s overpasses, and the Seoul Station Overpass in particular is included. Spatial and social contextualizations of Seoul Station Overpass will be represented through a layered collection of maps, photographs, and diagrams. Case studies of two foreign railway stations will show how urban transport infrastructure may be reorganized to establish effective urban pedestrian networks within their surroundings. An epilogue will review the seven competition entries of the Seoul Station Overpass reuse competition, to discuss each project’s ability to recover the vicinity’s fragmented urban pedestrian network. Finally, based on the expanded outlook, the role of Seoul Station Overpass within the broader context of the urban pedestrian network at large will be evaluated. The thesis found that the reuse project of Seoul Station Overpass will play a role in addressing the vicinity’s urban pedestrian network issues, by yielding enlivened pedestrian connections and link, while reducing pedestrians travel distances between major points across the vicinity. Nevertheless, the pedestrianized overpass alone is not an appropriate solution to recover the urban pedestrian network at large. MVRDV’s winning proposal for the ‘Seoul Station 7017’ competition is incapable of resolving the vicinity’s broader connectivity issues. To effectively address the broader urban pedestrian network issues in the vicinity, a master plan needs to be prepared, in which the reused overpass functions as a singular component among many others. The master plan must include an integrated range of short and long-term modifications to the vicinity, based on an approach that selectively combines and improves surface, subterranean, and elevated pedestrian connections. Improvements to the access points of the Seoul Metro and the raised concourse of Seoul Station Complex will play an important role in this multifaceted plan.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• LIST OF TABLES vii
• LIST OF FIGURES viii
• Chapter
• I.INTRODUCTION 1
• II.HISTORICAL CONTEXTUALIZATION OF SEOUL STATION OVERPASS 24
• III.SPATIAL & SOCIAL CONTEXTUALIZATION OF SEOUL STATION OVERPASS 41
• IV.CASE STUDY - ORGANIZATION OF FOREIGN RAILWAY STATIONS 97
• V.SUGGESTIONS & CONCLUDING REMARKS 147
• APPENDIX 153
• BIBLIOGRAPHY 162